


Bugs on the run

by TheGreatElisaMousy



Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Fugitives, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-13 22:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5719009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatElisaMousy/pseuds/TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wasp is back in Detroit and Bumblebee's determined to make it right this time. But he's not the only one who knows Wasp is back. Now Bumblebee and Wasp are on the run from the Autobots, Decepticons, and Earth authorities.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is basically my Transformers Animated AU where Bumblebee and Wasp are twins, but Wasp got to boot camp first and got a bit of popularity, even outside their own 'unit'. Bumblebee was awkward when he showed up, so no one really liked him. Wasp COULD have stuck up for Bee, but popularity went to his head and, well... we know where it went from there.

Bumblebee lay awake in his berth, despite the fact that it was 2:00 AM, Detroit time. Ever since their last encounter with Wasp—who had become Waspinator—he had had trouble recharging. How could it have gone so far?

_"Wasp... forgive Bumblebot."_

Just when he'd been forgiven, that... that thing his twin had become took over.

_"But Waspinator NEVER forgive!"_

Bumblebee covered his face with his servo, trying to hide the coolant pooling in his optics, just in case anyone walked in. If only Wasp hadn't let his popularity get to his head... If only he had stuck by Bumblebee's side. At first, Bumblebee thought Wasp was just teasing him, but...

_"You poor, sad, bot. It's not how you were forged. It's who you know."_

That was when he knew he was serious. Well, if Wasp was going to act like he didn't know him, fine! Let him be that way! See if Bumblebee cared.

But he did care. He always cared, which was why it hurt so much to see him carted away to prison. He should have confronted Wasp first. He would have _known_ Wasp wasn't the traitor if only he had _talked_ to him first. But he couldn't think straight. The thought that his brother might be a traitor, coupled with the hurt of Wasp's treatment toward him prevented that thought from even crossing his mind.

And when they were trying to track him down... Bumblebee just ran his motor mouth like always, not realizing how much worse he'd make it for Wasp. He didn't realize how fractured his brother's mind was. How low his trust was, especially toward the yellow bot.

_"Bumblebot lie! Wasp not listen!"_

He clenched his servos. He needed some air.

As quietly as he could, he crept out of the base, managing to not wake anyone. Transforming, he took off, taking empty side streets and whatever back alleys he could fit through. But the city, even at night, was still too loud. Driving to the pier, he looked over at what was left of Dinobot Island. As long as he avoided the Dinobots and returned to the base in the morning, he'd be fine. Now he just had to find a way of getting there.

Wait a minute... the turbo boosters were still in his subspace! And they'd been attached and removed so many times he could do it himself now! Transforming back to robot mode, Bumblebee reached into his subspace and pulled out the turbo boosters. After a moment, they were attached. He wasn't sure they would last him the whole way, but they could get him close enough.

Bending down to a ninety degree angle, he activated the boosters, taking off toward the island and high speed. They burned out right as he got to the beach, causing him to fall on his face and roll a few times. His momentum abruptly stopped when he hit a tree. "Owww..." he muttered, rubbing his helm as he sat up. "I really hope that didn't wake the Dinobots..."

Of course, nothing ever went the way he wanted it to. He took a hesitant step back when the trees in front of him rustled. Could he escape a raging robot dinosaur? Maybe. Could he keep it up all night? Probably not. Could he get back to the mainland? Not until his boosters cooled down.

Needless to say: he was slagged.

He closed his optics, hoping it would be quick. But when nothing happened, he slowly opened them. The creature in front of him wasn't a Dinobot. It was a large, familiar green figure with big purple eyes.

"Wasp? Er, Waspinator?" Bumblebee asked slowly. Hadn't the techno-organic been destroyed in the explosion, along with Blackarachnia?

"Bumblebot," he growled out, studying the yellow bot. He almost seemed to be studying him, probably trying to figure out of he was going to offline him or not.

"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but, uh... how are you, you know, alive?" Bumblebee asked, truly curious.

"Waspinator went with Spiderbot, but Waspinator pulled Waspinator together."

"Pulled yourself to... did you _explode_?"

Waspinator nodded. "Waspinator in many pieces, but Waspinator fix."

"Uh, good for you?" Bumblebee said. Deciding to risk asking what else was on his mind, he added, "Why'd you come back here from wherever you were transported to?"

"Waspinator not like jungle," the large bug replied. "Island familiar... but away from bots that want hurt Waspinator."

Bumblebee smiled sadly. It didn't seem like Waspinator was going to offline him. At least, for now. "So, uh... you happy here?" He didn't get a response. "Well, if you're not, I hope that changes." _You may have changed a lot, Wasp, but you're still my brother_. Glancing at the horizon, he could see the sun slowly begin to rise. "I need to go now. Bye." He waved over his shoulder. He was about to say 'see you again' but the way Waspinator was studying him again, he decided against it.

**_X_ **

Bumblebee managed to make it back to base just before Prowl got up. Finally, he caught a lucky break! He still couldn't recharge, so he laid on his berth for a few hours before getting up. 8:00 in the morning was still a little early for him, but whatever. As he got his morning energon, he could tell Bulkhead was trying to talk to him, but he kept tuning out, staring out the open door toward Dinobot Island, where he now knew his brother was living. Hopefully, he was safe. Hopefully, that night, he'd be able to recharge, knowing that.

Shaking his head slightly to snap himself out of it, he looked at Bulkhead. "Sorry, what? I kinda zoned out there for a sec."

"Thinkin' about what?" Bulkhead asked.

"Oh, you know, just... stuff."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, hopefully this will be a little more engaging than the last chapter. But, hey, every story needs a setup, right? Also, in this AU, twins have this kind of connection (which is why Jetstorm and Jetfire are able to always finish each others' sentences and talk in perfect sync (though their connection is stronger than most). So, without further ado, on with the show~

_Bumblebee was sitting in the base's rec room. The television was broken, so video games were out._

_"Hey, Bumblebrat," he heard a familiar voice behind him say. The Autobot froze. Only one bot ever called him that. Turning, he saw Wasp leaning against the wall. Not Waspinator. Wasp. His optics were blue. He still had his insignia. His coloration was more teal than green._

_"Wasp?" Bumblebee asked. "What the...?"_

_"Come on, you know what they say about connections with twins," Wasp said with a small smile._

_"So this is...?"_

_"A dream," the teal bot replied. He walked over and sat next to his brother on the couch. "Now that I'm back in... what's this place called?"_

_"Detroit," Bumblebee supplied._

_"Right," Wasp said with a nod. "Now that I'm back in Detroit, I can tell you this. Inside that thing, Waspinator, I'm still in there. Pretty deep inside, but still there. I want you to get me out, Bee."_

_"What?" Bumblebee asked, incredulous. "How?"_

_"I'm not sure," his brother replied. "But if anyone can reach me in there, it's you. I don't want to be a monster, Bumblebee, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can help me."_

_"No pressure," the yellow bot said._

_"Yeah, no pressure," Wasp agreed with a small laugh. "And... any way you can keep Sarge off my back?"_

_"I can do my best, but the guy still kinda hates me," Bumblebee said with a shrug. "But, hey, we've got a Prime and three others bots to vouch for you... I think."_

_"You're a lot of help," he said with a small laugh, lightly punching Bumblebee's arm._

_"Oh, now you're asking for it!" Bumblebee said with a laugh, pouncing on his brother. He smiled. These were the good old days._

_And he was about to get them back._

**_X_ **

When Bumblebee woke up, he was grinning. It was sad for him to leave that behind, for it to just be a dream, but that could change very soon.

"Bumblebee," Sari began as he moved past her on the couch. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, I just... I have some... errands to run! So, uh, see ya!" And with that, he dashed off, transforming mid-step. He felt really bad for just leaving Sari like that, and lying to her on top of it, but he needed to save his brother. In that dream, Wasp told him that he was buried deep in Waspinator. There was no telling if he was slowly fading away, and Bumblebee couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let his twin die.

Within ten minutes, he was back on the island, actively looking for Waspinator while trying to think about how he was supposed to go about doing this. Was he supposed to just... talk to him? What if Waspinator attacked him? Should he fight back?

His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he saw his target. "Uh... Waspinator?" he asked tentatively, causing the techno-organic to look over at him. He automatically took a defensive stance, as though he was ready to attack at any minute. Apparently, their talk a few nights ago meant nothing... "Relax, I just want to talk..."

"Bumblebot want to _talk_ with Waspinator? Bumblebot _betray_ Waspinator!" He readied his arms for battle, and Bumblebee remembered that those worked like stingers... only more dangerous.

"Come on, please don't make me do this," Bumblebee said, raising his own stingers, just in case.

"Too late for talk now, Bumblebot," Waspinator warned before diving at him, arms crackling with electric power. Bumblebee just barely managed to roll out of the way in time, landing in a crouch with one stinger pointed.

"I know you're in there, Wasp!" the small Autobot called out. "You can fight it! I know you can!"

"Is no Wasp!" the larger creature yelled. "Is only Waspinator!" With that, he dove again, causing Bumblebee to jump back.

"Where's the bot who always had better aim than me, even though I denied it? The bot that helped me when I got hurt?" Bumblebee asked desperately. Backed against a tree, he had no choice but to raise a stinger as Waspinator dove at him. His hands clashed with Bumblebee's stinger, causing him to be tossed back.

"Bumble... bot...?" he asked slowly before shaking his head.

Bumblebee's optics widened. He was reaching his twin. "Come on, Wasp, you're almost there!"

"Not for long!" Waspinator growled, diving again. Bumblebee raised his stingers again for defense, but Waspinator overshot very slightly. Instead of hitting him or flying right past, he landed right on the stingers, impaling him. The world seemed to stand still as what must be a mix of energon and organic blood dripped around the wound, down his stingers.

"No..." he managed to choke out, lowering his arms and allowing the body to slide off his stingers, which were now covered in the liquid oozing from Waspinator's motionless body.

_"NO!"_

**_X_ **

"What are you guys doing here?" Optimus asked as Jazz, Jetfire, and Jetstorm all entered the Autobot Earth base.

"SP got news that Waspinator's back here," Jazz replied. "Since he's busy back on Cybertron, we can to check it out."

"He be on island, maybe?" Jetfire asked.

"He might be," Prowl contemplated. "It's the only place he can stay hidden easily."

"What're we waiting for, then?" Jazz asked. "Not to sound like Sentinal or anything, but we'd better get him fast."

"He's right, Prime," Ratchet agreed. "From what you told us, Waspinator's even more dangerous than Wasp ever was. He needs to be captured or offlined."

"We'd better let Bumblebee know," Bulkhead said. "He can meet us there."

"Good idea, Bulkead," Optimus agreed before contacting Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, we have reports that Waspinator is back in Detroit. We think he might be on Dinobot Island. Meet us there as soon as you can."

"Okay," the younger bot said in an unusually dull tone. "On my way, Prime..."

"Okay, that was weird," Bulkhead said, having been on the same frequency.

"It almost doesn't sound like Bumblebee," Prowl agreed.

"Maybe we shouldn't have him come with us," Ratchet said. "After all, with his history with Wasp..."

"All the more reason for him to come," Optimus argued. "He knew Wasp better than the rest of us, so he might be able to help us against Waspinator." Turning to the door, he said, "Autobots, transform and roll out."

**_X_ **

Bumblebee sat, staring at the body of his mutated brother for a long time. How could he have done something like that? He was his brother, for spark's sake, and he killed him.

"Bumblebee, we have reports that Waspinator is back in Detroit. We think he might be on Dinotbot Island. Meet us there as soon as you can," Optimus told him through the comm link.

The small Autobot should have told the Prime that he didn't need to come out here. That there was no problem anymore. That Waspinator was...

"Okay," he said instead, knowing he wouldn't be able to say those words. "On my way, Prime..." As soon as the comm link was shut off, he broke down. Pulling his pedes close to his chest plates, he let the coolant fall freely in silent sobs over the twin he'd killed with his own servos. "I'm so sorry, Wasp... I'm so, so sorry..."

"Bumblebot...?" a familiar voice asked hesitantly.

Bumblebee's head instantly shot up. Where Waspinator's body had lain, there now sat Wasp, purple eyes staring at Bumblebee in slight confusion. "Wasp?" he asked slowly. Looking around him, he saw the remains of pieces of insect exoskeleton. It looked like killing Waspinator freed him. "Wasp!" he immediately ran over, kneeling down in front of him. The wince from the green bot didn't escape his notice.

"Where Bumblebot and Wasp?" he asked quietly.

"That doesn't matter right now," Bumblebee said with a huge smile, coolant falling, this time with joy. He had his twin back. He had Wasp back. "What do you remember?"

Wasp put a servo to his helm, thinking. "Wasp was... running from Autobots... flying bot take Wasp to island with Spiderbot... Spiderbot change Wasp... Wasp attack Autobots and Spiderbot... Wasp explode and pull Wasp together... Wasp come to island and... Wasp attack Bumblebot..." With that, his eyes widened, backing up. Bumblebee thought it was because he remembered him killing Waspinator.

"I'm sorry about... that..." the yellow bot said, motioning to the pieces of exoskeleton around them. "I won't hurt you, I promise. Please don't be afraid of me."

"Wasp not afraid of Bumblebot," Wasp explained. "Wasp afraid of Wasp... Wasp try to kill Bumblebot..."

"No, that wasn't you," Bumblebee assured him, grabbing his shoulders. "That was Waspinator, the thing Blackarachnia turned you into. You couldn't help it. And besides, it's in the past, just like... well, you know."

Wasp nodded a little. "Wasp meant it," he said, earning a look of confusion from his twin. "Wasp forgive you."

"Step away from the fugitive," they both heard and looked up to see Jazz standing on a hill above them. "I'm sorry, Bee. I don't wanna have to use this, but I will if I gotta." He pulled out a pair of stasis cuffs. "So, Wasp, you gonna come quietly or do we gotta do this the hard way?"

"We prefer hard way," Jetfire and Jetstorm said together, grinning.

Wasp's eyes widened, looking from the Elite Guard members to Bumblebee. "Bumblebot betray Wasp again..." the green bot said, backing up from them.

"No, Wasp, I swear I didn't tell them anything," he insisted.

"Bumblebee," Optimus said, coming up from behind Jazz with the other Autobots. "Do what Jazz said."

"No," he said stubbornly. "He's innocent, he's scared, and he doesn't deserve to go back to the stockades!"

"You need to make up your mind, kid!" Ratchet yelled. "He's guilty, he's innocent, he's guilty, he's innocent. Which is it?"

"Innocent," Bumblebee answered. "He was upset and angry with me, which is why he tried to switch our places. And fighting against all of us? We attacked him first! He was _scared_!"

"What about Waspinator?" Prowl asked with a raised optic ridge.

"That wasn't even him!" the smallest bot argued. "He wasn't in control! Waspinator wasn't Wasp, it was just something that took him over, but that's gone now." He gestured to the pieces around him and Wasp, drops of energon-blood dripping from his stingers, which were once again out if worst came to worst.

"Why are you so desperate to keep him from getting arrested, anyway?" Bulkhead asked, confused.

"I just am!" Bumblebee argued, eying Jazz and he came down with the stasis cuffs. They looked different than normal ones.

"Special grade," Jazz said, answering the unasked question. "Just to make sure he doesn't escape." Wasp was frozen in fear, not wanting to go back to the stockades but also having nowhere to run. Jazz clicked one of the cuffs on the fugitive, but before he could click the other, Bumblebee jumped at him. He wouldn't let his brother go back. That was the only thought crossing his mind, not even caring about what would happen to him for attacking a member of the Elite Guard.

Jazz backed up, accidentally dropped the other end of the stasis cuffs. To everyone's surprise, the cuff attached itself to Bumblebee's arm. The twins stared at the cuffs for a moment before looking at each other.

"Run!" Bumblebee yelled, turning around and running around Wasp so they could go straight. He took off, dragging a dazed Wasp behind him. A small electric buzz was going through the cuffs, obviously trying to put him into stasis, but he couldn't let that happen. When they were sparklings, Wasp had always protected him. Now it was his turn to do the protecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Now, Bee and Wasp are both fugitives. In case you're wondering why Bee is suddenly THIS protective, think about it. He's felt like shit for sending his own brother to prison, and even more so when he found out Wasp was innocent. Now that he has a chance to try to make it right, he's taking it.
> 
> Welp, that's that, so: See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, Wasp, we gotta move!" Bumblebee yelled, still dragging his twin behind him as they ran through the forests of Dinobot Island. Bumblebee was fast, even in robot mode, and since the others couldn't transform in this dense forest, he had the advantage. Dragging Wasp was slowing him down a little, though.

 

The green bot shook his head a few times, snapping out of his daze and running with his brother. He didn't know why Bumblebee was suddenly helping him, but he was glad. He just hoped it wasn't some trick... that Bumblebee was leading him to Sentinal Prime.

 

Glancing behind him, Bumblebee was easily able to read Wasp's face. "I know that look. Don't worry, bro, I'm not turning you in. Now come on, we gotta get out of here!"

 

"Bumblebot fugitive too?" Wasp asked, speeding up a little to keep pace with his twin.

 

"Probably," the yellow bot said. "I mean, I _did_ help you escape _and_ assault a member of the Elite Guard." He paused for a moment, still running. "I'm slagged."

 

"Wasp not understand," Wasp said slowly. "Why Bumblebot help Wasp?"

 

Bumblebee laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Look, I'm really sorry for everything that happened. I _really_ am. I should have talked to you before going to Sentinel."

 

Wasp looked away. Even with his mind as fractured as it was, he remembered why Bumblebee had done that. "Wasp sorry..." he whispered, voice almost blocked by the wind, but Bumblebee's audio receptors could still pick it up.

 

"Why are you apologizing?" Bumblebee asked. "I'm the one that screwed up."

 

"Wasp mean to Bumblebot," Wasp elaborated. "Wasp act like Bumblebot stranger... made Bumblebot hate Wasp..."

 

"I never hated you," Bumblebee told him. A thought hit him. "We need to scramble our frequencies, or they'll be able to track us."

 

Wasp nodded. "Bumblebot... forgive Wasp?"

 

"There's nothing to forgive," Bumblebee replied. "I mean—get down!" he abruptly yelled, diving to the ground. He forgot for a moment that they were cuffed together, meaning that because Wasp wasn't ready, he fell on top of his brother. The two just narrowly avoided a stream of fire. "Oww..."

 

"What that?" Wasp asked, nervous. He didn't know any Autobot that could do something like that. Were they being attacked by Decepticons now?

 

"Great," Bumblebee muttered, ignoring him for the moment. "First the Elite Guard, now the Dinobots. How much you wanna bet we'll run into some Decepticons this afternoon?" he asked sarcastically. He scrambled to his feet, using a tree to support him while helping Wasp up. Now standing in front of them was a giant robot shaped like a Tyrannosaurs: Grimlock. "H-Hey there, Grimlock... buddy..."

 

"Intruders!" he predictably yelled, transforming. "Me, Grimlock, destroy!"

 

Bumblebee facepalmed. "Of course. Why not?" He paused. Didn't Grimlock hate Optimus? He hated to do this to his own comrade, but desperate times... "Hey, Grimlock, remember Optimus Prime? Big blue and red truck?"

 

"Truck robot, baaaaad!" Grimlock yelled, even angrier than before.

 

"That's right, truck robot very bad," Bumblebee agreed. _Sorry, Prime._ "And he's back that way, coming here. You don't want him on your island, right?"

 

"Tiny yellow robot not lying?" Grimlock asked suspiciously.

 

Bumblebee raised his right hand and made a crossing motion over his chest plates. "Cross my spark and hope to fly."

 

Grimlock considered this for a minute. "You tiny robots stay here. Grimlock come back."

 

"Okay, buddy," Bumblebee said with a fake smile plastered on his face. As soon as Grimlock was out of sight, he whispered, "Run." And in an instant, the twins were off again.

 

"Bumblebot," Wasp began. "Why Bumblebot tell that bot about Prime?"

 

"Family first," Bumblebee told him simply. "I'm sorry I didn't remember that in boot camp."

 

Wasp thought on that, not saying another word until they reached the beach on the other side of the island. Battle cries from behind them indicated the battle that was no doubt raging between the Autobots and the Dinobots. "Now what?" Wasp asked, staring at the water.

 

"We go for a swim," his brother replied, walking straight into the water. He felt resistance, though, when the cuffs pulled on his wrist. Looking back, he saw Wasp still staring at the water. "Come on, it's okay. It's not like it's going to hurt you."

 

Wasp looked away, embarrassed at how he was acting. But this was all so strange to him. Finally being free of Waspinator, having Bumblebee on his side, running around this island, that Dinobot... It was too much for his processor to handle at once.

 

"Please don't crash on me," Bumblebee begged. "It's just a little water." After another moment's hesitation, Wasp followed him and they sank below the surface. "We have to go pretty deep so they won't be able to see us if they get out here," the yellow bot informed the green one.

 

Wasp nodded. "Where Bumblebot and Wasp go now?"

 

"Not sure..." Bumblebee thought, pausing once they were deep enough. The stasis cuffs were still slightly draining them. Sooner or later, they'd both be out, and then it was only a matter of time. "Well, first things first, we get these off." He lifted his left hand, connected to Wasp's right. "The question is... how?"

 

Wasp thought for a moment. "Bumblebot have combat stingers?"

 

"How did you—?" he began before remembering that Wasp had accessed his files while they had switched places. "Yeah. Why?"

 

"Wasp have powerful stingers," the green bot continued. "Maybe stingers can break cuffs?"

 

"Worth a try," Bumblebee said, raising his right hand while Wasp raised his left, both changing their hands into stingers. The both tried to zap the cuffs, but they wouldn't come off. The buzzing stopped, though. "Did we just take the stasis out of stasis cuffs?" Bumblebee asked with a small laugh, and a second later, Wasp was laughing with him. After they had calmed down, Bumblebee said, "I think, first, we should get out of Detroit. It will be a lot harder for them to find us if we're out of scanning range, even though we did scramble our signals." Wasp nodded. Bumblebee pointed. "If we keep heading that way, we should be able to make it to Ohio." At Wasp's blank look, he helpfully supplied, "It's a state. The city of Detroit is in Michigan, and just south is Ohio."

 

"And when Wasp and Bumblebot get to Ohio... then what?" Wasp asked.

 

Bumblebee thought for a minute. "Not sure. But let's just... think about it when we get there."

 

"Okay."

 

**_X_ **

 

"I _do not_ have time for this," Optimus muttered, swinging his axe, hoping to get Grimlock to back off. Luckily, the other two were nowhere to be found, but this angry Dinobot was enough for him. Especially when the jet twins decided to just sit and watch.

 

"Please, Grimlock," Prowl said, trying to appeal to him. They had a certain trust toward him, as he had first freed them, and then saved them from Meltdown. If anyone could talk Grimlock down, it would be Prowl.

 

"Truck robot bad!" the Dinobot yelled, readying his sword.

 

"No, no, truck robot good," the motorcycle told him, holding his hands out in a placating manner. Grimlock looked at him for a long time.

 

Finally putting his sword away, he said, "Only because bike robot say so." He glared at Optimus. "But me, Grimlock still no like you."

 

"That's fine," Optimus said plainly.

 

"Now," Prowl began. "Have you seen two other robots run through here? A yellow one and a green one, about this tall?" He approximated their height.

 

The Dinobot thought for a moment. "Yes. Me, Grimlock see tiny robots."

 

"Which way did they go?" the young ninja asked.

 

Grimlock pointed in the direction Bumblebee and Wasp had run.

 

"Thank you, Grimlock."

 

"Truck robot leave and no come back," he said adamantly.

 

"I have no problem with that," Optimus said with a sigh. How Prowl got along with them so well, he would never know. "Alright, let's go get Wasp and Bumblebee."

 

Jazz looked at Jetfire and Jetstorm. "Why don't you guys go airborne and take a look. They might've made it to the beach."

 

"Yes, Mr. Jazz, sir!" they both said, standing, saluting, and transforming, taking off into the air above the trees.

 

"Maybe we should scan for their signals," Prowl suggested.

 

"Yeah," Bulkhead agreed. "Bumblebee's fast, but without being able to transform, he shouldn't be out of range yet, right?"

 

"Good idea, both of you," Optimus said, and each ran their own scan. Each turned up nothing.

 

"Those little slagger's must have scrambled their signals!" Ratched grumbled. "Now how are we supposed to find them?"

 

"If they were on their way to the beach, they'll be underwater by now," Prowl pointed out. "Should we wait until they come up?"

 

"They could just keep going and end up in Ohio," Bulkhead dejectedly pointed out. His best friend had abandoned him and the team for... a fugitive. Why?

 

Optimus thought for a moment. "I have an idea. Jazz, can you call Jetfire and Jetstorm back here?"

 

"On it," the older ninja said. Once they returned, they stood at attention. "Alright, you two. Right now, OP's your CO, alright?"

 

Both automatically turned to face Optimus. "Alright, Jetfire, Jetstorm, you take Prowl across the lake to Ohio. That way, someone will be waiting for them there. Can you do that?"

 

"Yes, sir, Optimus Prime, sir!" they said. "But... we need beach to take off if we are to be bringing Prowl with us."

 

"Well, let's... just go then," Optimus said with a sigh as they began their trek through the forest. What had Bumblebee managed to get himself into now, and why did he have to drag the rest of them into it?


	4. Chapter 4

"Why so far?" Wasp asked as they continued walking through the bottom of Lake Erie. "Bumblebot and Wasp rust before Bumblebot and Wasp get to Ohio."

 

"Let's hope not," Bumblebee said, trying to be positive. "First things first, we find cover. Then we'll dry off." He laughed a little. "At least we won't need to wash for awhile."

 

Wasp nodded with a small smile. It was reassuring to him that, while he was scared, terrified of going back to the stockades, Bumblebee was still able to make jokes, easing the tension a little. "Why lake so big?"

 

"It's called one of the _Great_ Lakes, so... believe it or not, it's the second smallest of five," Bumblebee informed him, adopting a teacher tone. He then grew serious. "We'll need to find some kind of empty warehouse or... ugh, forest, since we can't transform with these things." He held up the hand that was cuffed again.

 

"Yeah, that sound painful," Wasp agreed. He glanced up to see the surface nearing. "Bumblebot and Wasp almost out of lake!"

 

"Hello, Ohio, here we come!" Bumblebee said as his helm broke the surface. Glancing at the pier, he ducked back under the water. "Slag!" he yelled.

 

"What?"

 

"Prowl beat us here with those jets!" the yellow bot groaned. He glanced down. "Why did I have to have such a bright paint job?"

 

"Bumblebot, give Wasp helmet," the green bot requested.

 

"Huh?" his brother asked, but removed his helmet anyway, handing it over.

 

Wasp pressed a button inside the helmet, causing it to slightly change shape and color. Bumblebee looked down at himself to see him the same green as his brother. "Bumblebot no remove electronic paint job button, only disable. Wasp fix." He handed him back the helmet and smiled. "Now Bumblebot and Wasp match," he added with a laugh.

 

"Right," Bumblebee said with a grin. "And we blend in more." He looked up at the shore where he could vaguely see Prowl's outline. "Take that, ninja-bot!" He regretted his words immediately when Prowl descended, floating down to the lake floor fifty yards away.

 

"Bumblebee, hand over Wasp. I don't want to have to hurt you, but Wasp is dangerous." Prowl took out his throwing stars. "Don't make me use these."

 

"Sorry, Prowl, no can do," Bumblebee replied, reaching into his subspace and pulling out one of his thrusters. It hadn't completely cooled off yet, but it should have enough juice for his plan. Quickly attaching it to his right side, he planted his foot and looked at Wasp. "You might get a bit dizzy."

 

"Huh?" Wasp began, but his question was answered when Bumblebee activated the thruster, spinning them in circles to kick up sand and dirt, making visibility very difficult. Once he was satisfied, he put his finger to his lips, indicating that Wasp be quiet. He held his intakes, and his brother followed his lead. Hearing Prowl try to clear his own, Bumblebee pulled Wasp in the other direction, running along the pier, not further back into the lake. When he looked back, the kicked up dust was beginning to clear, but Prowl was nowhere in sight. He wasn't quite sure if that was good or bad.

 

Once he felt like they were in the clear, they slowed down with heavy intakes. "Wasp getting tired," Wasp reported.

 

"Me too, but I'm not so sure we're in the clear, yet." As soon as the words left his mouth, Bumblebee looked up to see the water beginning to swirl above them. "Oh, man... We gotta keep moving!" The water swirled faster and faster, and appeared to begin to rise. "Doesn't he know there aren't hurricanes in Ohio?" Bumblebee muttered. Abruptly, though, the swirling stopped as soon as it began. Prowl had probably warned Jetstorm about how much damage his little hurricane could do to the nearby human population.

 

The two green bots stood and waited. They could see two shapes above them, high in the sky as their shadows passed over them. They were flying the way Bumblebee and Wasp had been running, and Prowl couldn't be far behind. Due to their good camouflage, however, they were passed right over.

 

Wasp pointed back the way they came. "Bumblebot and Wasp head back that way."

 

"Yeah," Bumblebee agreed. "Good idea. I thought I saw a warehouse we can hide in."

 

As they made their way back, walking this time, Wasp watched his twin. Bumblebee had answered his question from before a little bit, but it still didn't make much sense. So he'd ask again. "Wasp do very bad thing to Bumblebot. So why Bumblebot help Wasp?"

 

Bumblebee stopped and looked back at him. "Yeah, you did some pretty bad things. I mean, you acted like a total glitch head in boot camp and tried to get me arrested and attacked me when I tried to help you." Wasp looked more and more depressed with every moment Bumblebee pointed out. "But, Wasp, at the end of the solar cycle, you're still my brother." He smiled. Wasp smiled back. Soon, they were back where they had come from, where Bumblebee had seen the warehouse. Poking his head above the surface, he looked around. "Coast is clear. No Prowl, not jet twins, no humans. Let's go."

 

Once the twins were inside the warehouse, they were finally able to relax a little.

 

"What now?" Wasp asked, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall. "Bumblebot and Wasp run forever?"

 

"If we have to," Bumblebee told him. "I'm not letting them take you back, I promise. I am _so_ sorry I sent you there in the first place... But now, if we go down, we go down together."

 

"Wasp prefer not going down at all," Wasp said. He reached out to Bumblebee. "Bumblebot give Wasp helmet."

 

"Huh? Oh, right," Bumblebee said, handing him the helmet back. He'd seen the inside of it before giving it to his brother before, and it had gotten a bit more complicated that the last time it was used, somehow. He didn't know how to fix it, but he knew Wasp did. Wasp disabled the electronic paint and handed it back to his twin, who was yellow once again. "Thanks, Wasp." Wasp smiled in response. Bumblebee began to think. He didn't particularly _want_ to run forever, but there was no way he was giving Wasp up. But until Sentinel decided to drop whatever stupid charges he had against him, there was no way they'd be able to relax. They had to stay on guard at all times, just in case.

 

"Bluebot said Wasp innocent... but Sargebot still chasing Wasp... why?" Wasp asked. As usual, the two had an uncanny ability to know what the other was thinking about. They couldn't really read each other's minds, but the got the general idea of it.

 

"Bluebot...? You mean Prime?" Bumblebee sighed. "We all know you weren't the spy. Like I said, it was Longarm, who's really Shockwave. But you know, Sentinel being Sentinel, thinks for some reason that you know something about this whole Decepticon plot."

 

"Why? Wasp not Decepticon, and Wasp was in stockades."

 

"Exactly," Bumblebee agreed with a nod. "But he won't listen. _Then_ , when he finds out we were right, he just goes 'well, why didn't you say that in the first place'. Oh, Primus I feel bad for Jazz."

 

"Jazz?" Wasp asked, head tilted slightly in confusion.

 

"Yeah. He was that Elite Guard guy that cuffed us," the yellow bot explained. "He's not really a bad guy, he's just under orders from Sentinel. Especially now that Ultra Magnus is out of commission, so he's in charge." Wasp looked at him, even more confused. "Oh, boy, do I have a lot to catch you up on."

 

**_X_ **

 

Prowl sighed, giving up his search. He had combed the waters of Lake Erie, as well as the nearby storage facilities, but there was no trace of Bumblebee and Wasp. "Prime?" he said through the comm link. "No sign of them. They were in Lake Erie, and he might still be down there, but I can't find him. Jetstorm and Jetfire are getting an aerial view, but they aren't having any luck, either."

 

He could hear Optimus sigh on the other side. "Alright. Come back, then. We need to think of a new strategy here, and it's better if we have everyone's processors on it."

 

"Understood," Prowl told him, cutting the connection. "Jetfire, Jetstorm! We're heading back," he called up to the jets.

 

"But we have not found fugitives," Jetstorm said as they landed, frowning slightly.

 

"And I doubt we will." Prowl sighed. "They're either back, deep in the lake or long gone, considering how long we've been scouring this area. Prime wants us to return to base."

 

"Okay," the twins said together, transforming and joining. Prowl jumped on them, couching and holding onto one of the wings for stability, not tight enough to change their course, but not loose enough to fall.

 

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Bumblebee?" the ninja muttered as they flew over the lake.


	5. Chapter 5

"We need to find a way to get these things off," Bumblebee muttered, looking down at the stasis cuffs binding them together. It wasn't bad to be close to his twin brother, but they couldn't transform like this, so they stuck out like sore thumbs. They needed to be able to transform into vehicle mode if they were going to get any further. He changed his right servo into a stinger, pointing at the cuffs. When he saw Wasp just staring at him, he said, "Aren't you gonna help?"

"Bumblebot no break stasis cuffs," the green bot said, shaking his head. "These high-grade stasis cuff. Indestructible."

"We already shorted them out," Bumblebee argued. "So who says we can't break them?"

Wasp sighed. "That different," he said simply, leaving it at that.

"Well, I'm trying anyway," the yellow bot informed him before aiming the stinger. All that happened was a bunch of tiny flying sparks. "Okay, that didn't work."

"Wasp told Bumblebot..." Was pointed out.

"Oh, you shut up, Waspy," Bumblebee said with a grin, using his old nickname for his brother.

Wasp was about to argue against that nickname, since he hated it, but paused. Bumblebee had called him Waspy when he tried to calm him down in Detroit, before the Waspinator incident, but before then... He hadn't heard Bumblebee say that since before boot camp... back when they were a lot closer. "Wasp missed Bumblebot," he confessed. Hidden deep under the resentment, hurt, and desire for revenge, he missed his brother a lot. He felt more alone than he ever had, being far away from Bumblebee and knowing that he thought he was a traitor.

"I missed you, too, buddy," Bumblebee told him. "Now, let's not get all mushy or I'll throw up," he joked. Wasp rolled his optics, smiling. As always, Bumblebee was a pain in the aft, but that was okay. He'd grown up with him.

"Maybe Bumblebot can convince Elite Guard to let Wasp go?" Wasp suggested, trying to figure a way out their predicament.

Bumblebee laughed. "Oh, I wish. But, like I said, Sentinel's in charge. If I could talk to Ultra Magnus, maybe we could convince him, but..."

"Shockwave attack Ultra Magnus," Wasp said, remembering what his brother had told him. "And Shockwave is Longarm and set Wasp up?"

"That's right," the yellow twin said with a nod. "You know that whole extending his limbs thing? I think that's part of some kind of shape changing ability. You know, so he didn't look like a Decepticon."

"Make sense," Wasp said with a nod. "Wasp want revenge on Decepticon spy."

"Me too," Bumblebee agreed. "But first, let's get this whole thing straightened out, alright? One step at a time."

Wasp was about to say something, but yawned instead. His twin just laughed. "Tired?" he asked.

The green twin wanted to argue, but now that the adrenagon was fading, he was getting exhausted. All the running was taking its toll on him. "Wasp need sleep," he said simply.

"Go ahead," Bumblebee said. "I'll stand watch."

"But what about Bumblebot?" Wasp asked.

"When I get too tired, I can just wake you. Someone needs to stay on guard, right?" Bumblebee looked out one of the windows. "And it's barely 3:00. Man, this was a long day."

Wasp nodded, just about to shutter his optics when a loud boom resounded outside, causing both bots to look up. Bumblebee pulled Wasp along and opened the door a bit, peeking out. He didn't believe his optics.

"What the frag is Starscream doing here in Ohio?" he muttered.

"I know you're there, Autobots!" the Decepticon yelled. "Come out!"

"Seriously?" Bumblebee muttered before looking at Wasp. "You okay for this?"

Wasp nodded, adrenagon slowly pumping through his systems again. "That Starscream?" he asked, remembering what Bumblebee had told him he missed. One of those things was Starscream, the Decepticon who betrayed Megatron, going after the Allspark himself. The Decepticon that was immortal.

"Yep," Bumblebee said with a nod. "We gotta get out there, or innocent people are gonna get hurt." Wasp nodded and they both left the warehouse. "Hey, Screamer! Looking for us?"

"Ah, there you are!" the Seeker said with a grin, looking down at them. "So, it's true. Two Autobots, so far from home, here in Ohio." His optics landed on Wasp. "I... don't think I know you. But whatever! Prepare to join your friend Blurr in the Well of Allsparks!"

Bumblebee froze. Blurr was.. offline? "How would you know about that?" he asked icily. Wasp gave him a confused look. He hadn't really mentioned anyone named Blurr.

"Oh, you know, I have my ways," he said with a smirk. "Such as hacking into Megatron's private communication network! But enough talking!" He raised his arms, ready to fire his missiles.

Wasp looked at Bumblebee, not sure what to do. He'd never faced a Decepticon in combat, except Blackarachnia, as Waspinator.

"Follow my lead!" Bumblebee yelled, running to the side, dragging Wasp with him.

"Wasp no have choice," the green twin commented. The two had managed to dodge the missiles.

Changing both hands into stingers, he nodded to Wasp, who did the same. "Follow me lead," he repeated, raising both arms and pointing them at Starscream. This dragged up Wasp's right arm, but he lifted his left one as well. "Now!" he yelled and the twins fired together, aiming straight for the Decepticon's chest plates. With the pure strength of their attacks, Starscream was knocked back several yards before righting himself.

"I will terminate you both!" he yelled, once again aiming his missiles. Bumblebee looked around to see the crowd assembling around them. Not good. Outside of Detroit, Cybertronians weren't exactly well known. Sooner or later, camera drones would show up and display them on the news. If the Autobots back at base were filtering through the news for reports of 'giant robots', they'd be found out in an instant.

"Oh, yeah?" Bumblebee asked. "Shouldn't you be harassing Megatron or trying to go after the Allspark or something? Or did one of your little plans fail and you need to blow off some steam?"

"Nobody asked you!" he yelled, firing again. Both bots once again moved out of the way, heading for a nearby forest. If they could just get Starscream out into the woods, where he wouldn't be a danger to humans, they could take care of this nice and quickly. Both twins broke out into a run, noticing Starscream following them. Right according to plan. Once they were in the forest, which wasn't too dense, they turned and looked at the Decepticon. He fired two missiles again, and the brothers nodded at each other.

Bumblebee raised his right stinger at the missile coming in on their right, while Wasp aimed his left stinger at the missile coming in on their left. And both twins had their cuffed stingers pointed at Starscream. When the blasts from the stingers met the missiles, they exploded, causing an already damaged Starscream to be shot back further into the air. The Seeker stared down at his frame, and then at the Autobots. He couldn't believe he was being beaten by two tiny Autobots, but at the same time, he was quite worn out from his flight from Detroit. He'd find somewhere in this 'Ohio' to hole up and regain his strength before striking again. Getting Bumblebee out of the way would weaken Optimus Prime's team, making it easier for him to steal whatever fragments they had of the Allspark.

Watching him fly off, Bumblebee sighed. Laughing a little, he looked at Wasp and said, "Told you we'd run into a Decepticon today."

X

"Where's Bee?" Sari asked, looking at the other Autobots when they returned to base, accompanied by Jazz, Jetstorm, and Jetfire. They had been gone for hours without telling her where they went.

"It's... complicated, Sari," Optimus began. "He's—"

"In Toledo, Ohio," Ratchet announced, scanning the news. Turning on the television, he brought up a news report of 'giant robots' fighting near some docks in Toledo, before running off into a forest. "The little slaggers couldn't even keep quiet."

"Now that we know where they are, shouldn't we go after them?" Bulkhead asked.

Optimus sighed. "I think, right now, we need rest. If it keeps up like this, they're bound to be in the news again."

"Um, hello? What's going on?" Sari asked, crossing her arms.

"Put simply, Bumblebee's a fugitive," Prowl said. At her surprised look, he said, "You remember when we told you about Wasp, the suspected traitor?"

"The one that's really innocent but Sentinel Prime's still after?" Sari asked. "Yeah, I remember."

"He's back, and because Bumblebee protected him and helped him escape, he's a fugitive, too," Bulkhead answered. "What I don't get, though, is why he was helping Wasp. I mean, last I checked, they hated each other."

Jetfire and Jetstorm looked at each other before looking at the rest of the group.

"Is not obvious?" Jetfire asked, honestly surprised.

"Is... what not obvious?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah," Jazz commented. "Spill."

"They are twins," the jets said together.

"Come again?" Prowl asked.

"They are twins," Jetstorm informed them. "That is why he is protective of him."

"He is only protecting his brother," Jetfire agreed.

Bulkhead simply stared. Bumblebee and Wasp... Were they really...? But... in boot camp... He sighed. There was only one way to find out the whole story.

Find Bumblebee and Wasp.


	6. Chapter 6

Bumblebee looked around for a moment before dragging Wasp deeper into the forest. The further in they were, the less likely they were to get caught. Once he felt they were safe, they both sat down, leaning against a pair of trees.

"So..." Wasp began, remembering something Starscream had said. "Who Blurr?"

Bumblebee sighed. "Blurr was a friend. I mean, we didn't know him long, but... he helped us. Bulkhead got kidnapped by Megatron because he knew a lot about space bridges." Wasp nodded, remembering what Bulkhead had said his dream was when they were all asked by Sentinel so long ago. "We didn't know why, but then we got some good intel from Blurr. He led us to the Decepticon base, and managed to get some stasis cuffs on Blitzwing and Lugnut faster than I ever could. He got cemented, I think, to these two Starscream clones, and they were sent through a space bridge. I don't know where they ended up, but if Starscream was telling the truth... Well, then..." He sighed. "He also saved my aft even before I knew he was an Autobot. There was this racing thing run by this really shady guy who was initially controlling him. Our human friend, Sari, managed to get the control, so he was free. Then Blitzwing was after us, since there was an Allspark fragment in it. Blurr found some kind of ramp and basically played chicken with him. He peeled off pretty fast and didn't come back until our next battle."

"So... Now Blurr offline. Does Bumblebot know who?" Wasp asked.

"Not for sure, but I've got some suspicions..." Bumblebee said with a sigh. "Blurr was able to pick up on a communications frequency between Megatron and Shockwave, so he knew your voice didn't match. Since 'Longarm' was the head of intelligence, he was probably Blurr's CO. So when he reported that it wasn't you... Shockwave probably figured out that Blurr would find out and expose him soon, so he... you know."

"Wasp sorry," his twin said, putting his free hand on his shoulder. "Now Bumblebot and Wasp _both_ get revenge on Shockwave."

"Yeah." Bumblebee nodded. "For what you went through, and for Blurr." Deciding to veer the conversation away from the depressing topic, he said, "It's good to have you back, Wasp."

"Wasp glad to be back," the green bot said.

Bumblebee looked around, once again trying to plan their next escape route. "We can't stay in this forest forever," he said. "And we're probably going to need some kind of fuel soon. I hate having to do this, but we might have to steal some... So we find an oil place, and then head east, maybe? If the others start to get on our trails, we can go a little more north and hide in Lake Ontario." At Wasp's blank look, he added, "It's another Great Lake." He sighed. "We need to get these cuffs off so we can blend in more, but I can't pick them." He looked at his brother. "Can you?"

"Wasp was in stockades. Bumblebot think Wasp would stay so long if Wasp could pick lock?" he asked, raised an optic ridge.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He started thinking. Who could possibly pick a stasis cuff lock, but not freak out or report them to someone? No one came to mind. "Ehhh... I hate this."

"Wasp sorry..."

"Sorry for what? Breaking out of prison? You didn't deserve to be there in the first place," Bumblebee pointed out. "If anything, _I'm_ the one who screwed up." Wasp laughed a little. "What?"

"Wasp and Bumblebot do lots of apologizing," he said. Bumblebee took a moment to think over the last few hours before laughing with him.

"Okay, let's make an agreement," Bumblebee said, holding out his free servo toward his brother. "No more apologizing for all that old stuff."

Wasp raised his own free servo and shook Bumblebee's. "Deal," he agreed.

"Good." Bumblebee began looking around. The sun was beginning to set. "So... where to, now?"

"Bumblebot say east," Wasp reminded him.

"Yeah, but not immediately. We need to get away from populated areas. Stick to the woods and stuff." He pointed in the direction opposite the lights from the city. "Onward!" he joked, turning on his headlights, Wasp doing the same. They walked in silence for several minutes.

"Bumblebot?" Wasp finally said.

"Yeah, Waspy?" Bumblebee asked, scanning the area for any humans while still giving his brother most of his attention.

"Wasp no want to run forever," the greet bot said sadly. "Wasp want to be free..."

"I know," Bumblebee told him softly, looking over at him with a soft smile. "We'll get this sorted out, somehow. And even if we don't, at least you're not alone."

Wasp nodded, feeling just a little bit better. It was true. He may still be a 'dangerous' fugitive on the run from the Elite Guard, but he didn't feel so alone anymore. Having Bumblebee there gave him hope.

"Thanks, Bumblebot," Wasp told him with a soft smile of his own.

Whatever they were in for, they were in for it together.

**_X_ **

"Them being twins shouldn't excuse what Bumblebee did," Ratchet grumbled.

"But they're brothers," Sari commented. "Family. And family looks out for each other, right?" She looked at her own second 'family'. They had always had each other's backs. Why couldn't they understand why Bumblebee had Wasp's?

"That's what I don't get," Bulkhead said. "Back in the Academy, Wasp looked like he hated both of us. If he was Bumblebee's twin, why would he do that? Not very brother-like, if you ask me."

"Whatever the reason, that doesn't change the fact that they seem to be closer now. I had hoped to be able to get Bumblebee to listen, but now it seems like that won't be an option."

"So, what, you're just going to arrest Bumblebee?" Sari asked, incredulous.

"Look, I don't want to do it, either, but if it's the only way to bring in Wasp..." Jazz said with a sigh. "Orders are orders. And these come straight from the top."

"We are not wanting to separate brothers," Jetfire said. He looked at Jetstorm. Both seemed to be conflicted. They had their orders to apprehend Wasp, and now by extension, Bumblebee. But once they were taken to the stockades, they would most likely be separated, probably kept on opposite sides. They knew better than anyone that brothers shouldn't be split up like that, especially twins.

"We don't have a choice," Optimus said with a sigh. "We have to go tell Fanzone. He might be able to contact the police in Ohio. If they manage to get those cuffs off, we could lose them." They had seen in the news report that the twins were still attached.

"What I don't get is how they're both conscious," Ratchet muttered. "The power of those stasis cuffs should have been enough to put both of them down at once."

"That's not what's important right now," Optimus pointed out, already connecting to Fanzone's phone line. "Captain Fanzone? I need a favor."

"A favor?" the machine-hating human asked.

"Yes. I need you to somehow get word to the authorities in Ohio to keep an eye out for Wasp and Bumblebee, both in robot mode and vehicle mode."

After a moment of thinking, Fanzone sighed. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know this was kinda short and weird, but hopefully the next ones will be longer. I know Waspinator may seem out of character, considering he was very violent in Predacons Rising, but he's had time on his own, and now that he's not consumed by his anger at Blackarachnia, he doesn't really have much of a desire to hurt Bee. If this seemed slow, don't worry, it'll pick up.
> 
> See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~


End file.
